Screw feed mechanism for drying machine



July 31, E LAXQ SCREW FEED MECHANISM FOR DRYING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 2, 1951 Z w 7 HW 0 7/ a a $3 4. m Z J 1 m 7 W J w w w I July 31, 1956 E. LAXO SCREW FEED MECHANISM FOR DRYING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 2, 1951 1W mafia N r :u k r a M P4 7 5 United States Patent SCREW FEED MECHANISM FOR DRYING MACHINE Ed Laxo, Oakland, Calif.

Application May 2, 1951, Serial No. 224,239

Claims. (Cl. 198-75) This invention relates to a drying machine for drying the compound liner in can ends. More particularly it relates to a screw feed mechanism which is suitable for separating and feeding can ends or the like, to a novel drive means therefore, and to certain adjustment features for adjusting a machine of this character to accommodate can ends of different diameter.

In the manufacture of cans, a sealing compound or liner is applied to an annular groove formed adjacent the edge of each can end. The purpose of this liner is to form a seal when the ends are fixed to can bodies by a subsequent seaming operation. After application of the sealing compound it is necessary to dry the liner by heat, and in so doing it is necessary to provide some means for separating the can ends and for conveying them through a drying oven in suitably spaced relation. In view of competitive conditions prevailing in the can industry, the high cost of material employed to manufacture cans and the many operations required to produce cans, it is apparent that a single operation of this character must be carried out at high speed and that the machine employed for the purpose should be relatively simple to assemble, adjust, operate and maintain. It should also be dependable in its operation.

In machines heretofore designed for the purpose of drying compound liners in can ends, and also in the preferred embodiment of the machine of the present invention, rotary screws or helical feed means are provided to separate the can ends and to convey them through a drying oven in spaced relation and at suitable rate. However, in machines of the prior art, of which that described in Hedstrom U. S. Patent No. 1,518,791 is illustrative, the several feed screws are driven by numerous gears which present considerable difficulties from the standpoint of manufacture, assembly, disassembly, operation. and maintenance. In machines of this sort, the numerous. gears have a considerable amount of play, and this play is transferred to the dryer screws. As a result, the screws get out of time with one another and cause damage to the can ends and jamming of the machine. Also the numerous gears of present drying machines are exposed .and are run dry. Consequently, their operation creates a considerable noise and the compound liner seeps into gear teeth, causing binding and wear thereof. The numerous gears of present machines require equally numerous pins, bearings and connecting links.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine which is capable of conveying can ends or the like through a drying oven, and which embodies certain improvements in design as described hereinafter.

lt is another object of the invention to provide. a machine of the character and for the .purpose described which is of simpler design than heretofore.

-Yet another object of the present invention is to providev a machine of the character and for the purpose described which eliminates mostof the gears heretofore employed. 1

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a machine which is simple in its over-all construction, which is easy to assemble and disassemble, which is dependable'in its operation and is not likely to jam or cause damage to can ends, which is readily adjustable to accommodate can ends of different diameter, and which has fewer moving parts than machines heretofore employed.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and the appended claims.

One form of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and is described in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the machine of the present invention but with the top portion thereof omitted.

Figure 2 is a vertical mid-section through the machine.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the machine, certain parts thereof being shown in section, as seen along the line III-III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the machine, partly in elevation and partly in section as seen along the line IVIV of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the machine as a whole is designated by the numeral 10. Only the lower portion thereof is shown in the drawings, the upper portion comprising more or less'duplicates of elements of the lower portion of the machine. The machine is provided with a base 11, and it will be understood that a suitable housing or oven will be provided to enclose the machine or part thereof, and that suitable heating means will be provided and also forced draft means to blow heated air over the can ends to dry the compound liner.

A vertical, central shaft 12 is provided which is rotatable in the base 11 and is journaled in a bushing 13. A turntable 14 is also provided having a central hub 15 which is fixed to the shaft 12, as by means of a set screw 16. The turntable 14 is rotatable on ballbearings 17 and a ring gear 18 is provided which is fixed to the underside of the turntable 14 and is driven by a driving gear or pinion 19. A plurality of upright guide posts 25 are provided. As shown in Figure 3, these are eight in number since the machine is designed for eight stacks of can ends, which are shown at 26. The machine may, of course, be designed for a greateror lesser number of stacks and the number of guide posts will be varied accordingly. The guide posts 25 are not fixed directly to the. turntable but, as will be seen in Figure 2, they are fixed to an annular rib 27 which projects upwardly from an inner plate 28. The plate 28 has a central, circular opening 29 and a flange or hub 30 which fit snugly over the upper portion of the hub 15 of the turntable 14. The guide posts 25 lie on a circle which is concentric'to the opening 29, and to the shaft 12 when the plate 28 is mounted thereon.

A plurality of dryer screws 31 are provided which are equal in number to the guide posts 25 and which have a pitch appropriate to receive the edges of can ends and to separate successive can ends sufficiently for access of hot air to accomplish-drying of the sealing compound. In prior dryers, screws or helical feed members such as shown at 31 are provided and are driven by gears. Thus, each screw is provided with an individual gear fixed thereto and also with an idler gear. Thus, a machine such as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and which is designed to convey eight stacks of cans through an oven, would require not less than 16 gears.

The only gear employed in the machine of the present invention is the single ring gear 18. Instead of a multiplicity of gears, individual crank means and an eccentric are provided as explained hereinafter.

Referring more particularly to Figure 2, it will be seen the lower end of each dryer screw is formed with a trunnion 32 which is journaled in a bearing 33 and is received in a radial slot 34 formed in the turntable 14. At its lower end each trunnion 32 is fixed, as by means of a screw 35a, to one end of a crank 35, the other end of which is rotatably mounted as by means of a shoulder screw 36 and bushing 36a on a spider 37. The spider 37 is formed with a central hub 38 which is rotatably mounted on a fixed eccentric 39. The eccentric 39 is formed with a flange 40 which, together with the top of the base 11, defines an eccentric groove or track 41 in which the hub 38 of the spider 37 is seated.

As illustrated in Figure 4-, the spider 37 is constructed in two portions to facilitate mounting and demounting, and it is formed with bosses 4-2 which are clamped together as by means of cap screws 43.

The dryer screws 31 are clamped in position by means of the inner plate 28 and an outer ring b, as illustrated in Figure 2. Each bearing 33 is formed With an annular shoulder 51 and the plate 28 and ring 50 are formed with projecting, complemental flanges 52. Also, the ring 50 is keyed at 53 to the turntable 14. The plate 28 and ring 50 may be fixed to the turntable by any suitable means (not shown).

It will be understood that a suitable top plate, bearings and turntable (not shown) will be provided at the upper end of the machine which may be substantial duplicates of corresponding elements at the lower end of the machine. However, no cranks are necessary at the upper end of the machine.

In operation, can ends are fed to the screws 31 by any suitable means, and are removed from the screws by any suitable means. Suitable automatic means are well-known in the art and require no description here. As stated, a suitable enclosure or oven is provided and also heating and blower means for blowing hot air over the can ends. Rotation of the driving gear 19 will rotate the turntable 14, consequently the dryer screws 31 will rotate about the axis of shaft 12. The crank connections 35 between the screws 31 and the spider 37 will cause the latter to rotate about the eccentric 39. It will, therefore, be apparent that each crank 35 will rotate its screw 31 about its own axis. Consequently, can ends 26 carried by the screws 31 as illustrated in Figure 1, will be screwed upwardly to the upper end of the machine.

To adjust the machine for can ends of a ditferent diameter the spider 37 is removed by loosening the cap screws 43 and another spider is substituted having arms 37!: of a different length. The new spider will automatically locate the trunnions 32 at the proper points in the slots 34. A new clamping plate 23 and a new clamping ring 50 will also be employed.

Among the many advantages of the machine thus described may be mentioned the following. Construction, operation, maintenance, assembly and disassembly are greatly simplified. The only gear employed is the ring gear 18. The cranks 35 have little or no play; consequently, the dryer screws 31 cannot become out of time. Also, operation is quieter and the cranks 35 can be greased. Greasing tends to prevent sealing compound that has leaked from the can ends from penetrating the bearings of the cranks. Adjustment of the machine for can ends of different diameter is also greatly simplified.

I claim:

1. A machine of the character described comprising a rotatable turntable formed with radial slots, a plurality of rotary helical members carried by said turntable for rotation therewith and each having an end portion extending through one of said slots, means for clamping each rotarymembers in adjusted position in its slot, means forrotating said turntable and crank means operated by rotation of the turntable for rotating said helical members about their individual axes.

2. A machine of the character described comprising a rotatable turntable mounted for rotation about a central axis and formed with a plurality of radial slots, a plurality of rotary helical members carried by the turntable for rotation therewith, arranged with their axes parallel to said central axis, mounted for rotation about their individual axes and having end portions extending through said slots for radial adjustment to accommodate can ends of different diameters, a bearing for each helical member carried by said turntable, an inner clamping plate and an outer clamping ring fixed to said turntable and to said bearings to clamp the several bearings and their helical members in adjusted radial position, and crank means operated by rotation of the turntable for rotating said helical members about their individual axes.

3. A can end drying apparatus comprising a base, a vertical shaft mounted for rotation therein, a turntable carried by said shaft for rotation therewith, said turntable being -ormed with a plurality of radial slots, an inner ring mounted concentrically of said shaft and adjacent said turntable for rotation with the shaft and turntable, a plurality of guide posts fixed to and projecting upwardly from said inner ring in parallelism to said shaft, a plurality of helical feed screws each formed at one end with a trunnion, a bearing rotatably receiving each trunnion, said bearings being carried by said turntable adjacent said inner ring, an outer clamping ring fixed to said turntable adjacent said hearings to clamp the bearings and feed screws in adjusted radial position, ,a gear fixed to said turntable for driving the same, an eccentric carried by said base, a spider rotatably mounted on said eccentric and a crank for each feed screw connected at one end to the trunnion of said feed screw and at its other end to said spider.

4. In a can end dryer: a stationary frame; an eccentric member having a circular shape fixed to said frame and positioned in a substantially horizontal plane; a substantially horizontal turntable mounted on said frame for rotation about a central vertical axis, said central vertical axis of said turntable intersecting said eccentric member eccentric to the center thereof; a plurality of vertically disposed helical members journaled in said turntable in spaced relationship to the central axis thereof so as to move bodily with said turntable about said central axis and also to be rotatable about their own individual axes relative to said turntable, said helical members being spaced apart to receive and support can ends therebetween and to move said can ends vertically as said helical members rotate about their own axes relative to said turntable; a circular ring member rotatably embracing the periphery of said fixed eccentric member; a crank fixed at one end to each of said helical members, the opposite ends of said cranks being pivotally connected to said circular ring member, the throw of each of said cranks being equal to the eccentricity of said central axis of said turntable relative to the center of said eccentric member; and means for rotating said turntable to move said-helical members bodily therewith and to cause said eccentric member and said cranks to rotate said helical members about their own individual axes relative to said turntable whereby can ends supported between said helical members are moved bodily about said central vertical axis of said turntable and are simultaneously moved vertically.

5. Apparatus as defined by claim 4- in which said turntable is positioned above said eccentric member, said helical members extend vertically upwardly from said turntable, and the direction of the helix on each of said helical members and the direction of rotation of said turntable are such as to cause can ends supported between said heli- 5 6 cal members to move vertically upwardly relative to said 1,662,371 Troyer et a1 Mar. 13, 1928 turntable. 1,765,183 Troyer et a1 June 17, 1930 2,582,623 Douglas Jan. 15, 1952 References Cited In the 1116 Of this patent 2 582 24 Douglas Jan. 15 1952 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 1,484,259 Fowle et al. Feb. 19, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,518,791 Hedstrom Dec. 9, 1924 83,994 Switzerland June 16, 1920 

